Jehmic Culture
Basics of Jehmic Culture Almost since the beginning of the nation, the people of the Emirates have been a very socially conservative and reserved lot, as was dictated by their immediate needs. A very strong sense of "my friends/family/nation first, right or wrong" that once made it possible for them to survive the myriad elements out for their destruction or dissolution lingers even now, when it is no longer necessary. They are wont to like things quiet, because quiet means there is no trouble, and no trouble means being able to focus on their survival and the survival of their tight-knit groups of friends and families. Their behavior is clannish in many respects; preference for handling problems internally rather than going to authorities, a preference for including family and friends in personal or public endeavors, grudges and feuds that could extend across generations, and so forth. The alliance of the Emirates and the implementation of the Sultanhood relaxed these survivalist needs, but weeding them out entirely has proven impossible. To accomodate the atypical civilian's semi-clannish behavior, the police and military forces- whenever possible- try to deal with civilians as one might deal with friends. If a family has stumbled onto hard times or become embroiled in legal difficulties, the authorities will try to send personnel who have a connection to the individuals in question to help deal with it, as these persons will be more readily accepted. Public officials in positions of authority must be educated and trained to look past personal attachments for the good of the country or the Emirates as a whole, and encourage those under their oversight to do the same. Even now these attempts are largely hit or miss, and when one family group develops a feud with another it can take months or even years to resolve the problem in such a fashion that does not upset the rest of the social network. The major causes of most social dysfunctions are, fortunately for those in power, largely matters of economics and resources, disputes which have a basis in ethnicity, race, or religion are rare. Suffice it to say, outsiders tend to be viewed with distrust and for more unscrupulous groups make for easy scapegoats. The progressive ideals of the Sultan and the wealth he has brought for the Emirates are an entirely new thing. While there have always been dreams of a better world, these have for the entirety of the Emirates' existence been little more than dreams. There were simply too many problems and issues to worry about. The Neo-Earth Federation, the grotesque mutants and monstrosities from the Blightlands, the unpredictable Goblinoid armies, slave-raiders from the Kingdom of Blackened Brass, the threat of military aggression from other national powers, infiltrators from various Heretical cults, the list goes on for quite some time. But now, they are possessed of one of the most powerful militaries on Scylla. The draft is no longer critical to their survival, nor do they need worry about inflating their numbers through excessive breeding to ensure their army is large enough to defend their borders. For the first time the people of the Emirates may live in luxury and contentment, and they expect their leaders to do whatever is possible to ensure that they can maintain these newfound comforts that more than a few feel entitled to for their centuries of struggling. But the Emirates are largely torn on what to do now that they possess this wealth. Most of the ruling sheiks, and many of their supporters, particularly older generations, wish to use the lion's share of their newfound wealth to rebuild the glories enjoyed by their ancestors in the Golden Age. There are many great plans for massive arcologies and biodomes which would strengthen each nation-state's holdings. On the other side there are those few sheiks and many younger generations that wish to expand the Emirates' borders, using their new and improved military to take and cleanse huge swaths of the Blightlands and forever remove one of their greatest concerns, and give their enemies cause to think twice before attacking them. These concerns are however only a few years old at most, the majority of the populace is still acclimating themselves to having the money to import needs and wants without having to break their backs to earn it, a fair amount of money is simply wasted on fancies and pretty look-at-me's to celebrate their sudden rise in comfort. The power struggle thus far remains a contest of wills fought solely between the sheiks and the Sultan, a hidden war of cloak and dagger that must be kept in the shadows so that it does not upset the people. The Sultanhood The Sultanhood was implemented about half a century after the Emirates themselves came into existence- it became apparent to the various rulers of these disparate nation-states that they would not survive alone, and that alliances would need to be made. To unite these rulers, the Sultanhood was born- a form of centralized leadership that would provide necessary political oversight to prevent infighting between nations and military control for coordinating the Emirates' forces to protect the nations, as well as a public figurehead for the common folk. To further cement the bonds between nation-states, the Sultan's lineage would include members from every sheik's family, providing a critical social bond that worked out quite well for centuries. Each Sultan or Sultana would personally instruct and teach their children in the particulars of being what amounted to the overseer for the Emirates, and whoever proved to be best suited would be named the successor; with their siblings to assist them. Unfortunately, this system was destroyed when it came to be Fahad's turn to rule. Virtually every member of Fahad al-Hadi's family died in one of the largest military actions ever sent forth by the Neo-Earth Federation- Fahad himself only survived by virtue of having been sent away from the palace from which his parents, Ehsan and Aaleyah, governed. He had never been a great military mind like his father was, but he had shown incredible insight and brilliance in matters of economics and business- a popular saying that sprang from his servant and guardian, Abelardo Perez, is "that boy could find a loophole in a contract with the Hells themselves." Though he was only thirteen at the time of his family's death, great expectations were held from him nonetheless. He underwent tutelage from every general in the Emirates' employ, hoping that they could take his focus away from economics and make him the military mind the nations needed him to be. These measures failed, though; Fahad was never half the strategist his father or even the military officials who tried to teach him were. Forced with a choice between being a successful businessman or a failed commander, Fahad chose to retain his focus on economics and, through clever contracts with national powers who have citizens with similar survivalist attitudes that the Emirates can relate to- such as Paradise City, the Jade Confederacy, the Thi'thysaer Republic, and the Socialist State of Kosnyjek- brought wealth untold to his people, especially once it was discovered that the Caligano Strip housed a number of valuable rare-ore and precious gemstone deposits, and the development of recycling programs that allow the Emirates to scavenge valuable materials from their enemies. But the Sultan's lack of focus on military has, as noted before, caused a considerable amount of friction between Fahad and the sheiks. Only a few of them agree with the direction he has taken, most believe he is breaking traditions or even betraying his ancestry by entrusting virtually all matters military to his personal staff of generals. Even some of Fahad's viziers disagree with his choice of actions, and it is whispered that some of them may be plotting against him as a result. Fahad is of course, well aware of the plots against him and ever working to resolving the issues his detractors have, but the process is slow and will no doubt take years to accomplish, if he is not removed or assassinated in the meantime. To help gain the support of the people, Fahad is a very gregarious and outgoing sort- whenever he is going through a city or town he tries to make time for the common people's concerns, problems, or interests, and when possible he endeavors to personally assist them. To help him juggle his affairs he keeps no less than three harems of beautiful women of almost every humanoid race- even female-persona Mechanoids- who serve more as accountants and assistants than they do concubines. This gives the appearance that he is working on having huge numbers of children to reduce the chance that the Emirates could risk losing the Sultanhood as they nearly did when the rest of his family were slain, while at the same time providing him a personal luxury that he never passes up the chance to enjoy. Jehmarrahj Emirates Back to Main Page